This invention relates to vent assemblies and improvements thereof to prevent accumulation of frost, snow, or debris around and within vent assemblies.
A vent assembly is useful to prevent the buildup of gases or cold temperatures in water, waste water, or other system(s) where breathable airflow is required. Vent assemblies are used in pipe assemblies, households, water heaters, water systems, underground sewage systems, septic tanks, and more. The invention herein refers to vent assemblies where breathable airflow is necessary, but the same idea and invention claimed presently can be used for any vent assembly system.
Most underground vent assemblies in the prior art comprise a riser pipe with a mesh screen around the opening fitted perpendicular to a system of pipes. Water and waste water gases that can accumulate within the pipe system are vented via the riser pipe, increasing breathable airflow throughout the pipe system and preventing the possibility of gas buildup. Accumulation of gases also reduces breathable airflow throughout a pipe system and can result in gases exiting through undesirable exit points.
In certain geographic regions, frost accumulates along the lumen and outside of riser pipes during winter months. The mixing of cold air from the outside to the warmer air and precipitation within the pipe lumen increases the possibility that the vent tube will freeze. Frost build-up and freezing within the riser pipe eventually leads to cracking of the pipes and increased maintenance costs for municipalities to prevent additional cracking.
Too much frost accumulation within the lumen of the riser pipe also can inhibit release of built up gases within the pipe system because the moisture trapped within the lumen of the pipe assembly freezes solid. As the trapped moisture freezes within the riser pipe, less gas is able to vent through the assembly. Eventually, little to no gas escapes the riser pipe because the lumen is frozen through completely.
It is important to vent harmful gases such as methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, or hydrogen sulfide because accumulation of the gases in a confined space could be noxious to humans. Potential effects of prolonged exposure to hydrogen sulfide or ammonia include irritation of the respiratory tract and the eyes. Exposure to an extremely high concentration of hydrogen sulfide or ammonia can even be fatal.
Methane and carbon monoxide are both odorless colorless gases that are also fatal to humans in high enough concentrations. Methane can displace oxygen in closed facilities resulting in a potential asphyxiation risk when breathed by humans.
Carbon monoxide also displaces oxygen when inhaled resulting in accumulation in the bloodstream and negative health effects. The frost-free vent assembly helps reduce the accumulation of these gases in enclosed environments.
Another risk of accumulating methane or carbon monoxide, in addition to health harms, is the potential combustion risk. Poorly ventilated structures with higher blends of oxygen and methane increase the explosion risk of the structure. Riser pipes and vent assemblies in the prior art do not address the issues mentioned above.